They’ve not always got it right, but Celtic’s recruitment staff have produced some gems over the years.
Whether it be the King of Kings or the Three Amigos, the Hoops‘ scouts from across the decades have certainly got it right.
Of course, there have been a few flops down the line. You can’t sign a Henrik Larsson without following up with a Lassad.
But that’s what new head of football operations, Paul Tisdale, will be striving for – a strong success rate in the coming transfer windows having joined the club this week.
The former Exeter City and MK Dons manager comes to Parkhead with the club sitting pretty both on and off the field with cash in the bank thanks to previous scouting success with the likes of Matt O’Riley, Jota and others.
Celts have progressed significantly down the years and with Tisdale’s arrival in mind, we at 67 Hail Hail took a look back at some of the club’s former scouting personnel and the key talent-spotters who made their mark.
John Kelman
The club signed Paul McStay, Derek Whyte and Peter Grant while he worked as chief scout.
Andy Ritchie
Was a handy talent-spotter under Tommy Burns and was influential in the signing of Paolo di Canio, Pierre van Hooijdonk and Jorge Cadete. Worked alongside club legend Davie Hay who also worked under Wim Jansen.
Ritchie is also credited with having a key hand in bringing Mark Viduka, Larsson, Paul Lambert and Johan Mjallby to the cause.
Tom O’Neill
Martin O’Neill handed his namesake the reins after he initially arrived under Kenny Dalglish and he kept them when Gordon Strachan came in.
He oversaw the scouting department which also had John O’Hare and Ray Clarke in there and he can be tied to a plethora of big name players the club have signed in the past including John Hartson, Stan Varga, Neil Lennon in the MON era.
In the Strachan era he would have been involved in signing Scott McDonald, Jan Venegoor of Hesselink, Shunsuke Nakamura and others.
John Park
Named as the man who brought Virgil van Dijk to Celtic, Park also helped with Victor Wanyama, Beram Kayal and numerous others.
Tom Rogic and club legend Scott Brown also arrived during his time. He would eventually move to Rangers for a spell and then down south.
David Moss
Was part of the team who brought Van Dijk and Wanyama to Parkhead before branching out. When Brendan Rodgers came to Glasgow, Moss pitched Moussa Dembele on a cross-border fee which proved a masterstroke.
Now an agent in his own right.
Lee Congerton
Was a Brendan Rodgers pick back in 2017 but he didn’t bear as much fruit as he’d have hoped.
For every Olivier Ntcham, Odsonne Edouard and Scott Bain there’s a Marvin Compper and Kundai Benyu. Others also bombed hard.
Jay Lefevre
Has worked under Ange Postecoglou and Rodgers since he joined the club and was important in identifying the likes of Jota during his time. Postecoglou often gets credit for identifying his own players – especially those from the J League – but Lefevre played his part.
He also works in a team including other scouts such as Steve Watson, Craig Strachan, Antoine Ortega and Mark Cooper. Former defender Tosh McKinlay is also involved.
Tisdale will now work closely with the staff.
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